


Fishy

by MimiIvory



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Evil Joey Drew, Gen, Henry Stein Saves Everyone, Memory Loss, Mentioned Joey Drew, The ink consumes memories, Tired Henry Stein, reader is henry stein
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29655324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimiIvory/pseuds/MimiIvory
Summary: You've tried. Everything you can think of. What to do next? You can't deal with them. Not like this. Maybe if you change the game. Make them remember you? But how?
Kudos: 11





	Fishy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [He Will Set Us Free](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12831696) by [Star_Going_Supernova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/pseuds/Star_Going_Supernova). 



You don’t know how many times it’s been.

You don’t want to count the tally marks.

You’re not sure what’s real, the names on the coffins, the letters in the apartment?

Probably not the letters. Joey is a liar. You wouldn’t put this past him.

You’re not in danger now. You’re at the beginning.

You don’t know what to do this time. You’ve tried a lot of different things, and none of them worked out.

Died a bunch of times trying to find a peaceful solution.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like fish in a bowl, huh?

Maybe it’s time to take a deeper dive.

The ink puddle is where you go when you die. And everyone else is there.

Time to go digging for souls.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You find Susie first.

She is distinctive.

Very friendly, little bossy, and it looks like she lost it.

You’re pretty sure this isn’t all of her, but it’s something.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You think it helped.

Didn’t hurt, at least.

You’ll try again.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first time you die this run, you get to work.

You think that a couple of things might have gotten lost along the way, piecing everyone together, but no more than you lost looping.

Maybe a bit more.

You don’t think that you pieced them together quite right, but the memories cling together, and they seem to make a person.

More or less.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Searchers nearly bowl you over to take their memories.

Or maybe someone else’s.

You leave them, solidifying.

You shove Sammy’s in his face, and backpedal.

You give Buddy his. He walks off, and comes back. He still can’t talk, but he seems… more.

You give Susie hers instead of a soul.

That is the only time you have to hear one of them come back.

It is not great, but it is better than watching her die.

She is coming with you. To atone.

She is not quite herself, but she is not Alice anymore. She does not want to kill.

She helps you piece the Borises back together.

They are not glad to be strapped to the tables, organs barely patched together, but they seem glad to be up again.

You give Norman his, and he hides from Bendy.

You do not know how to help Bendy, but you think that this is a start.

You give the butcher trio their souls. And you leave.

You give Bertram his soul back. You do not know how to get him out of there, but he is more himself. Less bitter

Allison and Tom do not knock you out this time. They do not know what to do with you, you think, but you saved a lot of people. Well, you did your best. None of them are all there. They tag along as well.

You give the Lost Ones their souls back. They are calmer. You think it’s because Sammy is there. He is slumped over by the statue. You walk away quickly.

Bendy does not fight you. He does not show up. You go swimming again.

You do not want to die again.

There are spare scraps of memory here and there. You think that they might be yours, mostly.

You track Bendy down to his lair. He does not want to come out.

You wait. 

When he pops his head up, you throw the soul-thing in his face.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everybody is better now.

Not good, still scared, but halfway themselves again,

They like most of their fellows, and even though their ink creatures, they are alright.

Your job here is done.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, you do still have to get them out.


End file.
